Certain unincorporated areas of Scott County have a history of flooding due to their location in the watersheds of the Wapsipinicon and Mississippi Rivers and Spencer Creek. Any development in designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (as identified by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency) must apply for a Floodplain Development Permit.  All structures, including those deemed agriculturally exempt, are subject to floodplain development standards enforced by the Zoning Administrator.

Using the form at the bottom of the page (FLOODPLAIN DEVELOPMENT APPLICATION), applicants may petition the Zoning Administrator for approval for development within a designation Special Flood Hazard Area. The application fee is $30, and applications may be submitted at any time. Simple requests may be approved in a few business days, but many projects require review and comment by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and/or the Iowa Department of Natural Resources depending on the location and unique circumstances.

VIEW DRAFT FLOOD INSURANCE RATE MAPS

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is currently validating the draft Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) database for Scott County, Iowa’s Physical Map Revision (PMR), including the cities of Bettendorf, Buffalo, Davenport, Riverdale, and the unincorporated areas of Scott County.  The Scott County GIS manager has prepared an online mapping application for you to view the current and proposed maps here.  The current flood zone map is shown in the left pane and the draft proposed new flood zone map is in the right pane.  It may take some time for it to load or require a refresh to view the data fully.  If you have any questions or comments on the draft flood maps please contact Scott County Planning & Development at 563-326-8643 or [email protected].

Helpful Links

• FEMA, Flood Preparedness and Safety: https://www.ready.gov/floods
• Iowa State University Extension, Flood Recovery: https://www.extension.iastate.edu/disasterrecovery/flooding
• University of Iowa, Iowa Flood Center: https://iowafloodcenter.uiowa.edu/
• Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Floodplain Development Permits: https://www.iowadnr.gov/Environmental-Protection/Land-Quality/Flood-Plain-Management/Flood-Plain-Dev-Permits
• U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Floodplain Development Permits: https://www.usace.army.mil/missions/civil-works/Regulatory-Program-and-permits/Obtain-a-Permit/